Chicago Blackhawks Free Agent Shopping: Names To Watch

What follows is my list of potential free agents that might attract the attention – and money – of the Chicago Blackhawks this summer as unrestricted free agents.

We already spoke at length about our number one unrestricted free agent target for the Blackhawks – former Hurricane forward Erik Cole – and now present a list of some other names that may be on GM Stan Bowman’s radar.

Ryan Jones, LW, Edmonton

Jones, who turns 27 in June, is listed at 6’0 and 205 pounds and was once a fairly well regarded prospect in the Oilers organization who simply never produced as much as the organization wanted. But in 2010-11, he piled up 152 hits, 57 blocked shots and 38 takeaways with 18 goals. Last year, his cap number was $975k.

Drew Miller, LW, Detroit

Miller, 27, posted just 18 points in 67games, but he’s a Tomas Kopecky clone. Listed at 6’2 and 180 pounds, Miller was credited with 84 hits and two game-winning goals (more than Tomas Holmstrom). His 2010-11 cap number: $650,000.

Marty Reasoner, C, Florida

This is a real pain-in-the-butt player to include on this list, considering he was a member of the Blackhawks for a few weeks last summer. He wound up winning over 54 percent of his faceoffs and being credited with 52 takeaways while posting 32 points – including four game-winning goals – while his cap number was only $1.15M.

Zenon Konopka, C, New York Islanders

Konopka, 30, won 57.7 percent of his faceoffs, was credited with 57 blocked shots and a career-high…. nine points… in 82 games. He had a $600k cap number last year.

This year’s group of free agents really isn’t very deep, and these are the four players that would look nice in a Blackhawks sweater next October.

I would pass on Konopka… the Mighty Blackhawks were third least penalized in minor penalties this year, and he is a very bush league player. We can get someont that wins faceoffs and doesnt spend as much time putting us on the PK.

Just convince Sather that the best top line in the Eastern Conf. would be Sharp-Richards-Gaborik. Offer him Hammer and Sharpie for Dubinsky and Staal (or Girardi). I’m kidding. But there might be something to gain if Richards signs in New York.

None of the names mentioned are really dominant jam guys, and at a million you can keep Ryan Jones who has never made a difference in any Oiler game I watched.
It is nice to see the face-off totals and pims and convince yourself Konopka can actually skate the position of centre.
Reasoner is a stroke at that Cap hit…the only pain in the butt he would be is on payday.
Guys like Detroit’s Miller and Patrich Eaves are more like affordable plug-ins that have experience at centre.
But you have to project them into games 1 -3 against Vancouver and say, “Would they have been able to get to the Canuck blue line to lay big hits on the defense and wear at them, and get back to the middle and attack zones?